Karin Hendrickson

Biography

Karin, 46, was born and raised in Mt. Baldy, California. She left home after high school, skied for a year and then went to college. She received her BA in Environment from Colorado University and lived in Colorado and Idaho before coming to Alaska. “I saw my first sled dog in March of 2002, when I came up to volunteer for the Iditarod. By 2003, I had sold everything I owned, quit my job and moved to Alaska to become a handler. After two years as a handler, I tried to quit my dog habit. That didn’t last long—I was miserable without dogs!”

“I started building my own team in 2006. I really never expected to do any racing, much les run the Iditarod ! I am not too sure how it all happened, but just two years later, I found myself signed up for my first Iditarod. 2017 will be my 8th Iditarod.”

“I was hit by a truck while training in 2014 and broke my back in three places. Luckily all my dogs ere O.K., but I wasn’t able to run in 2015. In 2016, I managed to make a comeback and finish the race once again, but it was a big challenge physically.”
“I am one of a very few mushers to work full-time through the winter. My biggest challenge is trying oto fit training and racing in around the demands of my job. It is just this side of impossible to get everything done, but somehow we make it happen.”